“How many loaves have you?”

A colourful tapestry by Norma Ulloa. an embroiderer from Copiulemu, to illustrate the theme of WDP 2011

A colourful tapestry by Norma Ulloa. an embroiderer from Copiulemu,
to illustrate the theme of WDP 2011

The first Friday of March is celebrated as the World Day of Prayer, when women and men, old and young, in over 180 countries make time to come together to sing, think and pray around a common theme.

The theme for 2011 is “How many loaves have you?”. Before starting work, Norma Ulloa tried to imagine what Jesus’ life was like in his time, she read the Bible, and she thought a great deal.

Her idea focused around prayer and bread, and she said of her work: “The upper part depicts Christ praying and healing. On the left he is praying and the apostles have fallen asleep. On the right is the healing of a lame person, others are surrounding the scene and there are children among them. The lower part is related to bread. First there is the wheat, because that is what bread is made of. In the centre Christ is multiplying the loaves and the fish. There are loaves and fish in the baskets, and he is surrounded by many people. Finally there is the threshing with mares, a rural motif common in village life.”

May these thoughts about prayer, healing and sharing, with Christ’s ministry always at the centre, stay with us as we enter the period of Lent.